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Working
deerhounds.
The correct general appearance of the Scottish deerhound
should resemble a rough coated greyhound of larger bone and
size. Its build should suggest speed and power, remembering
why and where the breed evolved, to pull down red deer, and to
run on the energy sapping heather clad hills of the Scottish
highlands. Although DOXHOPE deerhounds were intentionally bred
for work, the gentle, friendly temperament that a deerhound in
modern times must possess was maintained. This also made them
ideal dogs for companionship in the right situations.
Deerhounds are a British dog bred to cope with the rigours of
rugged countrysides, and the
adverse weather conditions so
often found there.
Before hunting with dogs was banned in England, deerhounds and
their owners enjoyed unlimited work on deer, fox, hare and
rabbits. The success of the DOXHOPE kennel relied on such
sport to maintain the breed as a working one
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Bill constantly worked his
hounds as he did his lurchers, entering them in hunting
vocations such as
hare
coursing (both organized under strict
Coursing Club rules, and
in less formal private meetings). They also partook in
lamping, and working along-side ferrets in pursuit of
rabbits, plus general mooching on the vast available moors,
fells and game abundant countryside’s in his native
Northumberland. Deerhounds
are fairly intelligent, and this trait was capitalise on,
ensuring all DOXHOPE hounds
kept by Bill and John were trained to basic
commands and able to
retrieve and jump. A vast quantity of deerhounds
in the Great Britain can only be considered as exercisers of
game, but DOXHOPE deerhounds were takers of game, demon
hunters, where, in many situations they emulated the prowess
of their cross bred relations to an acceptable degree. Bill
is always first to admit his dogs can rarely better a
lurcher or longdog, but they are working deerhounds, his
hobby, as opposed to lurchers, which have always been his
life.
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